Police are asking for more people who were harmed by a church leader to come forward after he was found guilty of abusing four vulnerable young men over a period of more than 40 years.
John Grant, 77, who was a moderator and preacher at the London Baptist Association, was convicted of committing 11 sexual attacks between 1970 and 2012.
Met Police investigators believe there might be many more victims because of the nature of his crimes and his long involvement with the church across the UK.
He was a key figure at the Muswell Hill Baptist Church and had connections with Billingham Baptist Church in Stockton-on-Tees, Ward Green Baptist Church in Barnsley, Broomsknoll Church of Scotland in Airdrie, and several youth groups in north London.
Police first learned about Grant's wrongdoing in 2023 after a victim came forward and said he had been sexually assaulted repeatedly over a 30-year period.
The abuse started in 1994 when the victim moved into a shared house with Grant, who then began asking whether the complainant wanted massages.
The man refused these requests but felt pressured into massages that involved sexual touching.
This continued until the victim left in 1998, but he returned to the address in 1999, where the abuse continued until 2012.
After this was discovered, officers conducted thorough investigations to find out which organisations, youth groups, and churches were linked to Grant, which helped them find more victims.
Across all the complainants, there was a common pattern in how Grant acted, as he also served as a church deacon and youth leader.
He used coercive control and manipulative behaviour to groom vulnerable young men before sexually assaulting them.
Grant, from Hornsey, was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of three counts of sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault, and two counts of causing another person to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.
He was kept in custody pending sentencing on September 11.
Detective Constable Liam Levy, who led the investigation, said: "This case is deeply distressing, involving a number of non-recent sexual offences, and I would like to acknowledge the courage and bravery shown by the victim-survivors in coming forward and placing their trust in us.
"This conviction would not have been possible without their accounts, which were provided early in the investigation and helped us understand the extent of Grant’s abusive actions over more than four decades.
"The victim-survivors were vulnerable young men who trusted Grant through his church connections, and it is heartbreaking that they could be taken advantage of in this way.
"As this case shows, the Met is committed to investigating all reports of rape and sexual offences, even if they happened many years ago.
Any victim-survivor who comes forward will be treated with dignity, compassion, and sensitivity at every stage of the process."
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